The middle school baseball team has started off to a rocky start by losing their first two games to Monroe Area but have slowly made their way back to where their record is 4 and 3. 

The teams they play are Monroe Area, Bethlehem Christian, East Jackson, Westminster, Clarke Middle, Hebron Christian Academy, and Athens Christin. Their coaches are Jason Couch, Max Whalen, and Derron Street.

The boys on the team are Ben Ayres, Jaylon Clark, Benjamin Daniels, Crews Ellis, Trey Lester, Jalen Ford, Land Jhonson, Mason McCurty, Beckett Newland, Charlie Raber, Bo Rentz, Henry Scruggs, Thomas Sams, Simms Shuler, and Wallace Michalek.

Couch enjoys getting to make a relationship outside of school. To Couch, something he is excited to teach his son next year and how that will be so much fun. Couch says, “We are in a tough league, so I hope our season is competitive, and it is hard to predict a win or a loss.” 

Usually, the player makes the goals, but Couch has set some goals for him as a coach. He wants to build the players’ confidence and help them improve for high school baseball. He is also trying to make them better teammates. At practice, Couch doesn’t have the same routine every time. 

He likes to mix it up but emphasizes fundamentals such as grounders, pop flies, and hitting. The player’s favorite part about baseball is playing and winning, but as a coach, it is to see how far the players have grown. 

When going through a game, the team early in the season uses 4 to 5, pitchers later using 3. Couch wants them to learn from their mistakes, so mistakes in practice will not happen in a real game. 

Couch also wants the players to be able to play more than one position and hopes all of his players make it to the MLB (Major League Baseball). Couch also loves to see how happy the player gets when they get a good hit and see other players support each other. 

You would think that Couch would like baseball the most, but he likes football and baseball evenly. Couch likes the intensity of football and the mental approach of baseball. 

He played football and baseball most of his life. For Couch, his favorite season that he had ever coached was at a different school where they won the state championship. 

Top row: Coach couch, Simms Shuler, Beckett Newland, Ben Ayres, Land Johnson, Will Ryan, Crews Ellis, Charlie Raber, Mason McCurdy, Bo Rentz, and Coach Street. 

Bottom row: Wallace Michalek, Thomas Sams, Benjamin Daniels, and Henry Scruggs.